Yearly Archives: 2013

Cannabis for Elders: A Precarious State

"Ailments ranging from chemotherapy side effects, arthritis, glaucoma, chronic pain and even malnutrition are being treated with cannabis, a promising alternative for seniors who are increasingly susceptible to the dangerous side effects and growing dependency of multiple prescription medications. But as many move into assisted living facilities, questions arise on the use of medical marijuana behind their doors. Muddied by its illegal status at the federal level, social stigma, and often hesitant attitudes of administrators who in some cases fear losing funding for allowing a controlled substance on their property, medical marijuana presents a list of challenges for seniors." Continue reading →

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NSA Says It Can’t Search Its Own Emails

"The NSA is a 'supercomputing powerhouse' with machines so powerful their speed is measured in thousands of trillions of operations per second. The agency turns its giant machine brains to the task of sifting through unimaginably large troves of data its surveillance programs capture. But ask the NSA, as part of a freedom of information request, to do a seemingly simple search of its own employees' email? 'There's no central method to search an email at this time with the way our records are set up, unfortunately,' NSA Freedom of Information Act officer Cindy Blacker told me last week. The system is 'a little antiquated and archaic,' she added." Continue reading →

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California City Retreats From Red Light Camera Referendum

"City leaders in Riverside, California are backing off the promise made last November to allow residents to make the call about whether to keep or eliminate red light cameras. The city council votes later today on a staff recommendation to pull the plug on the public vote. The city has already postponed the ballot measure that was to be considered in June." Continue reading →

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Another Revolving Door: Deputy Secretary Neal. Wolin to Leave Treasury

"The Treasury Department today announced that Deputy Secretary Neal S. Wolin will conclude his tenure at the Department at the end of August, more than four years after he was confirmed. Wolin served as Acting Treasury Secretary from mid-January to late-February 2013. He was confirmed as Deputy in May 2009 and is the longest-serving Deputy Secretary in the Department’s history. From 2001 to 2008, Wolin served at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. as President and Chief Operating Officer for Property and Casualty Operations. Earlier in his career, he also worked in private law practice at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington, DC. " Continue reading →

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SEC’s Khuzami Uses Revolving Door to Make $5 Million

"Robert Khuzami, the former head of enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is joining Kirkland & Ellis LLP, reports BusinessWeek. Mark Filip, a partner in charge of Kirkland’s government enforcement defense and internal investigations, said Khuzami will help immediately in securities enforcement defense, advising boards and companies and counseling financial institutions on securities regulations." Continue reading →

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Dumb ALEC Runs for Cover on “Stand Your Ground.”

"ALEC is the American Legislative Exchange Council. It is a little-known conservative think tank. It is the source of the 'stand your ground' laws. It is now running for cover. Bill Gates’s foundation says it will not send money any longer. So has McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Kraft Foods. This reveals what ALEC has concealed for decades. The Establishment Left has always written checks to ALEC, which has kept ALEC on a short leash. ALEC is getting out of the law enforcement and social policy fields. It will return to its 'economic roots.' The Trayvon Martin case is the cause. Zimmerman was declared not guilty. But that does not matter at ALEC." Continue reading →

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Adam Kokesh’s Mail from Jail

"Adam is in a cage in solitary confinement, and he wants to reach out to his friends and fans in person. For the next few hours, he'll be able to interact with his fans through the mail, and he'd like to be able to thank his supporters personally and answer any questions they might have. While the government has desperately struggled to silence Adam, we shouldn't forget about the positivity that defines his approach. I would love for everyone to send him messages about how they woke up to the liberty movement, and how they plan to spread the message of Liberty in their own personal lives. Let's make sure that the Man can't get him down." Continue reading →

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Criminals can’t escape the cameras

"Inventors are continuing to tap into the power of surveillance cameras, and capabilities that might have seemed like James Bond tricks are now reality, such as face-recognition software and license-plate readers. One such invention aims to 'see' potential crime before it happens. AISight is software that uses artificial intelligence to learn over time what normal behavior the camera records, so it can recognize when there is abnormal behavior. The system will send an alert to whoever is monitoring the cameras, such as a security guard, who can then decide how to react to the situation." Continue reading →

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Levi Chavez, ex-New Mexico police officer, acquitted of wife’s murder

"A jury acquitted Levi Chavez of murdering his wife and trying to make the hairdresser's death look like a suicide. Prosecutor Bryan McKay, who told jurors during closing arguments that Chavez used his department-issued gun to commit 'cold-blooded, calculated, planned-out murder,' declined to comment after the verdict. A wrongful death lawsuit from the family of Tera Chavez alleges the former officer killed his wife to keep her from disclosing an alleged staged theft of a truck for insurance money. Chavez acknowledged having a string of mistresses, searching a website on how to kill someone with martial arts moves, and ignoring his wife's calls for help." Continue reading →

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